Begin Anew
by Clara Barton
Summary: This year, the annual New Year's Eve Preventer's Ball has unanticipated results.


For Miss Murdered's Birthday - a little 1x2x3 for 12/3. I hope you enjoy!

Pairings: 1x2x3

Warnings: language

_Begin Anew_

Heero understood the point of these things, on an intellectual level. He knew they were a holdover that the European elite still clung to, a chance to relive their glory days. He also understood what an important propaganda tool they were - impressive gatherings full of impressive people celebrating a momentous day in Terran history.

But despite the fact that Heero understood the point of the annual New Year's Eve celebrations, he couldn't claim to enjoy them.

At least this year it was in San Francisco. Last year, in Brussels, Heero had endured the misery of the cold _and_ four hours in a ridiculous suit. He had been on the security detail last year, a dubious honor that the senior Preventers officers drew lots to fulfill. Heero didn't mind the security duty, he frankly felt more comfortable patrolling the premises of whatever lavish hotel the celebration was held at. But he could never feel entirely comfortable in a tuxedo.

He wasn't the only one.

Seated at his table, rolling his shoulders and fidgeting with the collar of his stiff white dress shirt, Duo looked as though he was facing a firing squad.

Heero tried to suppress his smirk at Duo's discomfort, but Duo caught his look and scowled.

"Laugh it up," he grumbled, "and I'll make sure to tell the Director that you want to be on Zechs' security detail when he gets back from Mars."

Heero frowned.

"You wouldn't."

Duo arched an eyebrow, challenging Heero's confidence that Duo would never subject him to that kind of torture.

It seemed that every time Zechs came back from Mars for supplies he took some measure of delight in making Heero's life miserable, in belittling him and reminding him of how little he thought of Heero's choice to be a mere meat shield for bloated sycophants, as Zechs had phrased it during his visit last year.

"Oh Jesus, Heero, don't look so tragic. Of course I wouldn't do that to you," Duo said after letting him stew for a moment.

Heero glared and Duo smirked.

"Stop fidgeting," Heero said to him.

Duo made a face.

"I should be on the Moon right now, should be up to my elbows in shit and trying to take apart a terrorist cell from the inside _not_ watching these fancy Terrans dance for hours."

"You could always join them," Heero said and nodded at Quatre and Relena dancing.

Duo followed his gaze and snorted.

"Yeah. That'll be the day. You know the last time I danced -" Duo caught himself and shook his head, his amusement gone and his lips compressed in a tight line that Heero well recognized.

"The last time I danced was with Trowa," Heero said, filling the silence, trying to distract Duo from whatever dark memory he was plagued with.

"Oh yeah? You two hit the clubbing circuit often?" There was still a dark twist to Duo's smile.

"No. Of course not." Heero couldn't imagine a more unpleasant activity. "It was for Relena's inauguration."

'"Ah." Duo nodded and his smile softened. "Wish I could have seen that."

Heero snorted.

"No you don't. You would have had to wear this same monstrosity."

"Well… I'm in it now" Duo drawled.

Duo arched an eyebrow and gave Heero a meaningful look.

Heero frowned and looked behind him, to the table that Trowa had been assigned to sit at.

Trowa was staring off into the middle distance, a neutral, polite little smile plastered on his face. Heero wondered if he was counting down the time until he could make an escape. Trowa appreciated these functions just as much as Duo and Heero - not at all.

"You never got me a Christmas present," Duo added. "You owe me."

"You don't even celebrate Christmas," Heero muttered but he got to his feet.

Duo grinned in triumph and leaned back in his chair.

Heero rolled his eyes but he walked over to Trowa's table.

Trowa looked up at his approach, smile disappearing and a spark of interest in his eye.

"Trouble?" He asked, his voice soft.

"No," Heero said and Trowa sighed in disappointment. "Dance with me?"

Trowa arched an eyebrow.

"Duo wants to see us dance."

"Why?"

Heero shrugged.

"He missed it the last time we did. And I think he wants to torture us."

Trowa's lips twitched but he nodded and stood up.

They walked out to the dance floor and Heero settled one hand on Trowa's shoulder and one hand in Trowa's larger hand. He felt the warmth of Trowa's hand even through his suit as Trowa placed his hand on Heero's waist.

He let Trowa lead them, having learned from the last time that Trowa had impeccable timing and Heero was content to let Trowa guide them around the dance floor, effortlessly navigating through the other couples.

"It's too bad," Trowa murmured after a moment, his voice soft and his breath warm against Heero's cheek.

"What is?"

"I was hoping to watch you and Duo dance."

"I don't think there is any chance of him dancing," Heero confided.

Trowa pulled back enough to give him a questioning look.

Heero shook his head.

"One of these days," Trowa said with a sigh, "we're all going to experience something that doesn't remind us of the past."

There was a certain tone in Trowa's voice that made Heero pull him a little closer, grip his hand a little tighter, and he slid his fingers up to the base of Trowa's neck, resting them against the sliver of flesh between his collar and his hairline.

"That would be nice," Heero said.

Trowa leaned forward and gently bumped his forehead against Heero's.

"It would," he agreed.

"I hope Duo's enjoying his show," Heero muttered, hoping to lighten the mood.

Trowa smirked slightly, his lips very close to Heero's.

He turned his head to look at Duo, to see if he was enjoying watching the two of them parading around with the civilians.

But Duo wasn't even looking at them. He was standing up and shoving his chair into the table and turning, shoving his hands in his pockets and stalking out of the ballroom, his shoulders set in a fierce hunch.

And then Quatre was there, smiling broadly, looking comfortable and handsome in his tuxedo, his blonde hair perfect, not a strand out of place or willing to rebel.

"Heero! Trowa! I'm so happy to see you two dancing!"

For some reason, his words made Trowa and Heero step away, releasing each other as if on cue.

"Oh." Quatre looked between them, a frown of confusion on his face. "Well - may I have the next dance?" He asked Heero.

Heero looked at him in bewilderment. _Why_ would Heero want to dance _again_?

"There's a situation we have to deal with," Trowa said, taking hold of Heero's elbow and discreetly pulling him away. "We need to resolve it immediately."

Quatre looked concerned.

"What -"

Heero shook his head.

"Don't worry. Enjoy the party - make sure everyone else stays calm. We can handle this."

Quatre looked between them but then nodded.

"Okay. Just let me know if you need me."

Trowa reached out and squeezed Quatre's arm.

"Thank you," he said, and then started to walk away.

Heero followed him.

"Thank you for the save," Heero said once they were out of the ballroom.

But Trowa was looking down the halls as though scouting for an invasion force.

"Which way do you think he went?"

The question made Heero frown, and then he realized. Duo. Trowa was asking about Duo. Who had stormed out of the ballroom without explanation.

"His room is on the tenth floor," Heero said.

Trowa arched an eyebrow.

"Were you paranoid enough to find out where everyone was staying or just him?"

"Define everyone."

Trowa laughed and then led the way to the nearest elevator.

"I thought he wanted to see us dance," Trowa said once the doors had closed and they were on their way up to Duo's floor.

"He said he did." Heero shrugged.

"He looked jealous. He _knows_ I wouldn't come between you two, doesn't he?"

Heero stared at him.

"What?"

"I would never - I want the two of you to be happy."

"We aren't - Trowa, Duo and I are not involved."

Trowa frowned at him and it looked as though he was trying to decide whether or not Trowa was lying.

"Why not?"

The question took Heero aback.

Thankfully, the elevator doors opened and saved him from scrambling for an answer.

It was his turn to lead, at a brisk pace that meant no talking but it didn't stop him from _thinking_.

_Why not?_

Because Duo, and Trowa, were Heero's best friends, his only friends, and he wasn't willing to risk that. Because Duo flirted with everyone, spent as much time staring at Trowa as he did staring at Heero. Because the one time he had kissed Duo, Duo had said it was a bad idea and practically fled.

He stopped at 1054 and knocked.

Trowa cleared his throat.

Heero turned and saw him holding up a card.

"You have his room key?"

Trowa smirked.

"No."

Trowa stepped forward and Heero could see now that the card was not a hotel issued room key, but it did have a magnetic stripe on it and when Trowa slid it home the door opened for them.

"Birthday present from Duo last year," Trowa explained when Heero arched an eyebrow.

"Thoughtful." Duo had given Heero an antique ivory handled straight razor. He hadn't really known what to make of the gift, since Duo had actually stared at Heero's straight razor in shock the first time he had seen it, had asked if Heero contemplated suicide every morning or what and Heero had been sure the gift was Duo making fun of him until Duo had blushed, had looked unsure and told Heero that if he didn't like it then he was sorry.

Duo's room was empty, save for a duffel bag under his bed and a gun under one of the pillows.

Heero felt a little guilty for searching the room so thoroughly - clearly Duo himself wasn't hiding under the bed or a pillow - but he felt a small measure of comfort when he saw that the gun was the Beretta that Heero had given him two years ago.

"There's a pool on the rooftop," Heero suggested to Trowa.

Trowa nodded.

"Wufei mentioned it at lunch today. Duo seemed interested."

So they rode the elevator again.

"I always thought you and Duo would be good together," Heero confessed after a few floors of silence.

Trowa frowned.

"I can never tell how interested in me Duo really is," he admitted with a shrug.

So clearly Trowa was interested in Duo.

He was also looking at Heero expectantly.

Heero shrugged.

"I don't know how he feels about you. Or me."

Trowa nodded in acceptance.

When the elevator reached the top they stepped out and into the chill night air. It was mild, pleasant, and Heero drew in a deep breath. It was infinitely better than being trapped in the ballroom.

And this wasn't Brussels - there was no snow or ice.

But there was a Duo, leaning against the railing on one side of the roof, looking out over the city.

He turned his head and Heero could make out his frown in the dim light.

"I'll take the left side," Trowa murmured and approached Duo.

Heero took the right side and stepped up to Duo.

"It's nice up here," Trowa said after a moment of silence.

Heero saw Duo's lips curl upwards but then he shrugged.

"Nicer than down there."

Heero and Trowa both nodded.

They stood in silence for several minutes and then Duo groaned and turned, trying to glare at both of them at the same time.

"You should have said something," he growled.

"What?" Heero asked him in confusion. "About what?"

"About the two of you - and -" Duo made a vague gesture with his hand -"and whatever you two have. You didn't have to just shove it in my face like that."

Heero looked over at Trowa, and the taller man arched an eyebrow and gave him a meaningful look.

He felt like laughing, but he knew Duo would probably walk away and never come back if he did.

"Trowa and I are not involved."

Duo scowled.

"Why the hell not? I saw the way you two were holding each other."

It was Heero's turn to arch an eyebrow at Trowa.

"I thought you and Heero were involved," Trowa admitted.

"Ah, no. I fucked up the chances of that a long time ago," Duo muttered. "But you two -"

"You didn't fuck up anything," Heero interrupted him.

Duo stared at him, and there was something fragile and hopeful in his eyes.

"I didn't."

Heero shook his head.

"No. You didn't. I don't think… I don't think either of us were ready for anything then."

Trowa moved, away from the railing, unobtrusively trying to slip away but Duo reached out and caught his arm.

Trowa stared down at Duo's hand wrapped around his wrist.

"I'll go," Trowa said and tried to pull free. "Let you two talk."

Duo looked over at Heero.

"I've got a minibar in my room," Duo said. "We could all go and talk."

Trowa was still trying to work his wrist free from Duo's grip and Duo was still casually holding onto him.

"All of us," Duo added and Trowa stopped trying to free his wrist.

"Why?"

"Because I… I don't know. Maybe we could just all talk. Seems we've all misunderstood the situation."

"I have champagne in my room."

Both Trowa and Duo looked at him.

"Quatre sent it over."

Duo's jaw dropped and he finally released Trowa's wrist.

"Are you… planning to entertain him later?"

Heero glared.

"Of course not."

Duo looked up at Trowa and smirked.

"Of course not, he says," Duo muttered in a voice that he clearly thought was a good imitation of Heero.

Trowa cleared his throat and looked away, fighting hard to keep his lips pressed together in a straight line.

Heero glared.

Duo drew in a deep breath.

"Yeah, I guess champagne beats my minibar."

They walked to the elevator and Trowa pressed the button for the seventh floor before Heero had a chance to.

He looked over at the taller man.

"You aren't the only paranoid one," Trowa said with a shrug.

"Amen to that," Duo said. He folded his arms and leaned back against the wall of the elevator car as it descended.

"I like to be thorough," Heero argued.

Duo snorted.

"Yeah. And Trowa likes to know the weaknesses of his potential enemies and I like to know what's going to come at me in the dead of night. There's a word for all of that shit. Paranoid."

Heero angled his chin, mimicking the posture that Zechs usually adopted, and sniffed.

Duo rolled his eyes.

When Heero opened the door to his room Duo walked in first and whistled.

"Damn. Who'd you sleep with to get the room upgrade?"

"I think the better question is who wants to sleep with _him_," Trowa said, but he looked just as impressed and envious as Duo.

"No. This was because of Relena."

Duo turned as Heero closed the door and it was clear he wanted to make a joke but Heero glared.

"Alright, alright. The Princess no longer wants to get in your pants. I guess Prince Charming's at the front of the queue now."

Heero shrugged out of his jacket and draped it over the desk chair before reaching into the refrigeration unit and removing the bottle of champagne that Quatre had had delivered just before the party. He had already disposed of the note attached. _Hope we can celebrate the New Year together_.

Heero really didn't know what to make of the blonde's infatuation with him. They rarely saw each other, as Quatre spent the bulk of his time in space overseeing WEI and Heero spent his time on missions for the Preventers. And yet, each time their paths crossed, Quatre seemed intent on finding a way to spend time alone with Heero.

There were only two champagne glasses, but Duo happily accepted a mug full of champagne instead.

Heero wasn't at all surprised to see that the other two had removed their jackets as well, or that Duo had rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt and pulled his bowtie loose so that it dangled around his neck.

"So… a toast?" Duo suggested when they sat down, Duo on the couch, Heero in one armchair and Trowa in another.

They leaned forward and clinked their glasses together.

"To us," Duo said, and it almost sounded like a question.

"To us," Heero and Trowa echoed.

"So…" Duo finished off the rest of his mug and set it down on the coffee table separating them. "I thought Trowa and you were a thing, Trowa thought you and I were a thing and you…"

"I thought you and Trowa would be good together."

Duo looked over at Trowa and Trowa returned the look.

"Yeah," Duo agreed. "I think we could be. I...I think all of us could be good together."

"How would that work?" Trowa asked.

"I… have no clue," Duo admitted. He looked over at Heero, his usual confidence wavering, "what do you think?"

"I've never considered it," Heero said. He leaned back in his chair. "It sounds complicated."

"Do you think the sex or the intimacy would be complicated?" Trowa asked.

"Both?"

"Wouldn't it be complicated no matter what?" Duo asked. "The three of us… are not uncomplicated people."

Trowa smiled slightly at that.

"No, we aren't," he agreed.

"So -"

There was a knock at the door.

"Heero?"

The voice was muffled, but it was unmistakably Quatre.

"Talk about complicated," Duo muttered.

Heero sighed and got up.

"He's going to want to come in."

For some reason, Heero found it very difficult to be rude to Quatre. Trowa's save earlier in the evening had been perfect. But now… there was no fake crisis he could claim he needed to resolve.

"I got this," Duo said.

He stood up and in one swift motion he pulled his shirt and vest over his head and then tossed them onto the couch.

Duo winked and then walked over to the door. He made a gesture with his hand, indicating that Trowa and Heero should move out of the line of sight of the door.

Trowa picked up the bottle of champagne and moved to sit on the bed, crossing his legs and looking interested in what would happen next.

He topped off Heero's glass as Heero sat down beside him.

Duo opened the door and leaned against the frame, cocking his hips.

"Hey! Quat!"

"Duo. What are you - what are you doing here?"

"Er, well... " Duo chuckled and Quatre stammered.

"I - you and Heero?"

"That's on the agenda, yeah."

"Oh. I… I had no idea."

"I think Duo could use some help," Trowa said to Heero and passed him the champagne bottle. He emptied his glass and set it on the nightstand and then started to strip, taking off his trousers, the dress shirt, vest and bow tie. He laid them down on the bed and then, clad in only a pair of black briefs that left very little to Heero's imagination, he walked over to join Duo at the door.

"What's taking so long? We're getting lonely."

Heero could _feel_ Quatre's shock and embarrassment.

"Trowa?"

"Hello, Quatre. I'm sorry Heero and I never let you know that we resolved the earlier crisis."

"I'm glad to hear that you did."

"Heero's getting impatient," Trowa said, his voice a low undertone that made Heero shiver and he imagined that Trowa said the words against Duo's neck or into his hair.

"Well, mustn't keep him waiting," Duo said. "Right, well, Happy New Year Quat!"

"Um… you too, Duo. Trowa - and Heero," he called out, voice a little louder.

Heero heard the door shut and a moment later Duo and Trowa walked into sight.

Both were smirking, clearly pleased with themselves, but Heero was too distracted by the sight of their lean, dangerous bodies to share in their amusement.

He had seen both of them naked before, showering or in the med bay, but had never _looked_ at them. Had never allowed himself to appreciate the hard planes of Trowa's trim body or the black rose clusters tattooed on Duo's shoulders.

Heero remembered some rookie trying to give Duo shit about the tattoos, remembered him making some snide remark about the tats and Duo's hair and the next time Heero had seen the rookie he had fallen all over himself to beg Duo's forgiveness, to thank him for saving his ass and Heero had had to ask Wufei what had happened and the dark eyed man had delighted in telling Heero that Duo had saved the rookie's life on his first field assignment.

"Hm. Are we underdressed or is Heero overdressed?" Duo asked, breaking into Heero's thoughts.

Trowa locked eyes with Heero, his green gaze searching.

"I think Heero's right," Trowa said after a moment. "This is going to be complicated."

"So we're… saying fuck it and going our separate ways?" Duo asked with a scowl.

"No," Heero shook his head. "But maybe we should start over. Start slow."

Duo sighed theatrically.

"There goes my hope of starting the New Year with fantastic sex," he whined, but he was smirking, his blue eyes twinkling.

"Maybe next year," Trowa suggested.

"Don't think I won't hold us to it," Duo said, his voice confident.

He stepped closer to the bed and leaned over Heero.

"At least a good night kiss?" He suggested.

"We did save you from Quatre," Trowa added. He took the champagne bottle from Heero and Duo plucked the glass from his hand and finished it off before setting it down on the coffee table.

Heero started to stand, but Duo pushed him back onto the bed.

"At least give me the chance to lay on this massive thing for a minute and _dream_," Duo said with a smirk. He joined Heero and then pulled Trowa down with them as well and they ended up in a slightly tangled pile.

But Duo looked happy, and it felt good, the weight and warmth of their bodies.

Duo leaned close to Heero and brushed his lips over Heero's, teasing maybe or just experimenting.

Trowa shifted, pressing closer, and Heero felt his lips against his throat, felt Trowa's tongue tracing over his jugular.

Heero groaned and Duo took advantage of his open mouth and slipped his tongue inside, and Heero felt his nerve endings tingle from the stimulation.

Duo tasted like champagne and heat and when he pulled away they were both breathing hard, but then Trowa was kissing Duo, swallowing his gasps and Heero watched them kiss and felt his arousal grow.

Maybe it would be complicated - but Heero was confident it would be worth it.

Duo eased away from Trowa and he smiled, at Trowa, at Heero.

"That was some goodnight kiss," he said.

Trowa smirked and Heero had to laugh.

"You know," Duo said as he rolled over onto his side, stretching out on the bed, "maybe Trowa and I should stay the night - help keep guard in case Quatre decides to try his luck again."

"It took the two of you parading around half naked to get rid of him last time - aren't you worried what lengths you'll have to go to to protect me next time?"

Duo shrugged and looked over at Trowa.

"Nah. It'll be a good excuse for us to get naked at least."


End file.
